Thailand

Thailand » Ancient Kingdoms Ride

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1 - Your group will gather this morning at Bangkok's Suwarnabhumi Airport, then drive north of the city to ancient Ayutthaya. We'll embark on a walking tour to explore some the more significent ruins of this former capital city. After lunch, we continue north to the market town of Nakhon Sawan, our launching point for this cycling holiday. We enjoy dinner at a floating restaurant followed by the launching of traditional khom loy (Thai Fire Balloons) for good luck.

Day 2 - The first bike tour of the trip travels through the flat farmlands of the Chao Phraya River Valley, with emerald green rice fields stretching as far as the eye can see, punctuated by vibrantly colored temple complexes and wooden houses. We may have the opportunity to witness traditional agricultural methods, duck powered pest control, sun drying of tapioca and peppers, wind winnowing of rice hulls. Our goal for the evening is Kamphaeng Phet, another of Thailand's ancient kingdoms, dating from the Sukhothai Era (500 to 700 years ago). We head out for dinner at the night market at a small, simple cafe with a fabulous chef. 75 mi / 121 kms

Day 3 - In the morning we will pedal the short way through town to Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has a section of ruins within the city containing the Imperial Temple complex among others and a second section tucked away in the forests outside the city. We will enjoy a walking tour of the first and then take our bikes for a ride through the second. From Kamphaeng Phet is it a short, scenic ride through rural Thailand to our next stop at the renowned ruins of Sukhothai and our hotel sitting just outside the historical park. 53 mi / 85 kms

Day 4 - We start our day with a cycling trip through the Sukhothai Historical Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), where we will discover many fabulous ruins dating back some 500 to 700 years. The complex is an amazing tribute to the ancient kings and their visions. After lunch, we will roll on to the small town of Sawankalok, our stop for tonight. For dinner, we will go "grazing" at the night food market, tasting an array of everyday Thai food, watching as the locals come to get their dinners (very few Thai's have full kitchens at home, preferring to buy their prepared dinners at the markets).

Day 5 - We head north out of the agricultural regions and into the foothills of the northern mountains today. We pass by Si Satchanalai National Park this morning, with the option to stop and explore a bit if you haven't tired of ancient ruins. Much of the day is quite flat, but does give way to hills as we approach the crossroads town of Thoen. At one point during the ride, it appears that massive mountains block our way, but as we approach, we come to discover that they are really flat slabs of granite turned up on edge and are only a 100 feet thick, yet towering way above our heads. In mid-afternoon, we will load up in our support vans and drive to Lampang, bypassing a busy highway 60 mi / 100 kms

Day 6 - Our last bike ride of the first week follows rolls through the rural countryside. We will visit the historic Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, with its fortress like appearance and viharns (temple buildings) dating back to the 15th century. In late afternoon, we will shuttle into Chiang Mai to avoid the afternoon rush hour traffic. Tonight we head out for a traditional northern Khan Toke dinner with classical thai and hill tribe dancing. 56 mi / 90 kms

Day 7 - Today is a free day. A variety of options of things to do in Chiang Mai is available, from cycling tours of Wiang Kum Kam, visits to handicraft shops, cooking classes, etc. Your guides will be glad to fill you in on the options and help you plan your day. (lunch / dinner on your own)

Day 8 - We head north this morning, following small roads along the Mae Ping through villages and past flower farms. Lunch time will find us in the town of Mae Rim, where we will break from cycling to visit an orchid grower, butterfly farm and the Mae Rim Elephant camp, where we enjoy a demonstration of the elephant's former work. In late afternoon, we remount our bikes for a beautiful ride through emerald rice paddies and past colorful temples en route to our overnight stop in the village of Baan Rai. 31 mi / 50 kms

Day 9 - Our morning ride takes us first to Mae Malai, where we visit a traditional market featuring a broad selection of local vegetables, fruits and fish, along with a tasty array of prepared foods from pad se yu (noodles) to fried insects. We will also visit the magnificent Wat Baan Den, before heading north into the rolling, forested countryside. Our bike tour winds down the day at a picturesque resort tucked in amongst the impressive karst hills ... relax by the lake with a cold Singha beer or on the porch of your teak cottage hidden in the gardens. 57 mi / 92 kms

Day 10 - After breakfast this morning, we will pedal up to a beautiful giant Buddha, perched beneath the golden cliffs, then enjoy a thrilling descent onto the agricultural realm around Fang. We will visit Tham Tub Tao, an ancient temple complex with 100s of Buddha images inside a giant cavern. Each year a gathering of 2500 monks takes place at this temple and has been happening for hundreds of years. In the afternoon we will spend some time exploring Wat Mae Ai Luang, with its historic wooden temple featuring Burmese architecture, before rolling further north to Tha Ton, our overnight stopping point. 54 mi / 88 kms

Day 11 - As the morning fog burns off, we head out for a leisurely ride along the Mae Kok, watching as the villagers start their days in the fields. In late morning, we will load up in our sag and drive to a Kayan Village perched on the mountain top (avoiding a very steep climb). The Kayan, also known as 'long neck women' or 'Paudang', have a village cooperative that sells their handwoven products to visitors like ourselves. We will re-mount our bikes in the afternoon and continue our ride to the historic ruins of Chiang Saen and our hotel near the Mae Khong. 71 mi / 115 kms

Day 12 - Our cycling holiday must come to an end today. After breakfast we will visit the White Temple, a unique Buddhist temple featuring incredible carvings by a Chiang Rai artist. Then we will be shuttling folks back to Chiang Mai, arriving in early afternoon (guests can also be dropped off at Chiang Rai Airport). Khap khun khap, sawasdee khap